Clasp or buckle.



No. 804,893. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. U. E. SMITH.

CLASP OR BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE E. SMITH, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT. ASSIGNOR TO NORTH & JUDDMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW BRITAIN,

)ONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

CLASP OR BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicati fil d July 1, 1905. Serial No. 267,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Britain, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasps or Buckles, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description. 4

My invention relates to improvements in clasps, and has particular valueas a fastener for belts, blankets, and like articles.

It is my purpose to provide a structure which is essentially animprovement upon the clasp made the subject-matter of my former UnitedStates Letters Patent, No. 781,916, of February 7, 1905.

Among the objects are'to provide means for adding greater strength tocertain parts of the clasp and greater holding power to the parts whenassembled and in use.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

The fastener comprises two separable members A and B. The member A isformed by casting, while the member B is preferably formed ofspring-wire. These members A and B are each provided with a slot or loopat their rear ends for receiving the ends of the article to which theclasp is to be attached.

C is a hook projecting, preferably, slightly above the main body of themember A. This hook has a comparatively narrow bill and is ofsubstantial length, extending forward along the body of the member A toform a rib-like reinforce and aliner C. At the forward end of the memberA are two ball-like enlargements E E, arranged to provide between them acontracted passage through which the shank of the member B must bepassed in attaching or detaching the two members. Each side bar B B ishooked at its forward end, the ends of said hooks being in thisparticular instance preferably united in the same plane to engageunderneath the other article (not shown) may be secured.

bill of the hook C. The side bars B B extend along each side of thereinforce and alining-rib C, thence between the ball-like enlargements EE, and thence to the loop end. In this case the free ends of the wireforming the member-B are preferably at the rear and form the bar aroundwhich the strap end (i111 desired, a tubular lining-piece B may be provided to cover these free ends. In this case, as in my former case, itis the flexibility of the side bars B B which permits the shank to bepassed through the space between the balllike enlargements E E. Therib-like reinforce C gives substantially greater strength to the body ofthe member A. It also acts as a backing for the hook-bill. It also tendsto aline the side bars B and guide them into the space between theball-like enlargements E E, and it also cooperates with saidenlargements in resisting twisting strains.

What I claim is In a clasp or buckle, in combination two cooperativedetachable members, a rearwardly-proj ecting hook carried by one of saidmembers, a forwardly-proj ecting strengthening and alining rib integralwith said hook and the body of said hook-carrying member, two ball-likeenlargements carried by said member forward of said hook but spacedapart therefrom and from each other and elevated above the plane of thebody of said member, two hooks carried by the side bars of the othermember and facing each other and arranged to engage underneath thehookbill on the first member, the intermediate shank portion of saidsecond member formed by said side bars being contracted and flexible andarranged to pass through the space between the ball-like enlargements onthe first member. CLARENCE E. SMITH.

Witnesses:

GEORGE N. BEARDSLEY, E. M. WIGHTMAN.

